A record snow drought with unpredictable heat is hitting most of the American West, depleting future water supplies, making it way more unguarded to wildfires and damaging winter tourism and recreation.   

Scientists say that snow cover and snow depth are both at the lowest levels they’ve seen in decades, while at least 67 Western weather stations have calculated their warmest December through early February on record. Normal snow cover this time of the year should come to about 460,000 square miles – about the size of California, Utah, Idaho, and Montana. But this year it’s only California-sized, which is about 155,00 square miles, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

According to AP news, center director Mark Serreze said”I have not seen a winter like this before.” He has been in Colorado for almost 40 years.

According to AP news, professor Russ Schumacher said, “Going snowless happens from time to time, but it’s the warmth that’s been so extreme, which is easier to tie to climate change.”